198 COMPOSITE CUPULIFER/E DIAGRAMS 11, 16 



inserted, as in the thistle, upon the ovary; and it has five 

 stamens with the pistil in the middle. We find in the camomile 

 and the daisy, besides the ordinary yellow regular flowers, others 

 which are irregular like those of the chicory, and white, and form 

 a rim round the others. But these irregular flowers are also 

 incomplete, they have neither stamens, nor pistils, and are neither 

 male nor female, but neuter : and therefore produce no seeds. 



In the sunflower the receptacle is also surrounded with irre- 

 gular neuter flowers ; but there is a difference between the flowers 

 within them ; in the centre of the receptacle they have a pistil 

 and no stamens, and are female flowers ; but towards the edges 

 of the receptacle, they are male flowers, with stamens and no 

 pistil. The latter, like the neuter flowers, of course produce no 



The dahlia is a composite plant in which all the flowers have 

 been rendered neuter and irregular by cultivation. In its native 

 country, there is only a row of large neuter flowers round the 

 receptacle, and the others are small and yellow, as in mose 

 composite. 



FAMILY CUPULIFER^E. DIAGKAM 16. 



This family has inconspicuous flowers, and in- 

 cludes most of our forest trees, such as the willow, 

 the poplar, the birch, the elm, the oak, the Danish 

 chestnut, the beech, the hazel, and the hornbeam. 

 The flowers are in most cases reduced to a simple 

 scale, sometimes isolated, and sometimes in 

 clusters, like the flowers of the hop. The 

 sexes are sometimes found on the same tree, 

 and sometimes separated. They are male clusters, 

 or tassels, which hang on the branches of the hazel 

 at the end of winter, before the leaves have ap- 

 M le Tassel of P earec ^- ^ n looking at them closely, it is easy to 

 the Hazel. see the stamens inserted at the base of the scales. 



